New Year New Baby

I received the BEST New Year's present. No not ANOTHER baby...just a NEW one.
Audrey's first 15 weeks have been the most difficult of any of my baby's. Since September 22nd, the day she arrived into my arms I have not been myself. I've been so incredibly tired and sleep deprived and so sick and tired of doing nothing but bouncing this baby and holding her.

I wouldn't dare even take a bath lest she wake up...again. I don't think I laid on the couch by myself for an entire episode of survivor because I was always....always holding this child.
If she was awake she would be happy for maybe 5 minutes. She would scream to eat every 2hrs and only 5 times or so did she allow me longer than 3hrs at night to sleep.

I was just done. You could see it on my face, hear it in my voice and hear it in my lack of enthusiasm for ANYTHING.

Taking the month of December off Homeschooling helped. It allowed me to rest and prepare for Christmas without feeling too overwhelmed. It also allowed me the time to enjoy our lives a little amongst the extras of the Christmas season.

Christmas came and went however and I just kept praying for her to settle a little more.

WELL... A few days ago we gave her Gripe water, she had a MASSIVE poop and our little girl has been a different baby ever since. When she is awake she is HAPPY!! and when she sleeps she stays asleep long enough for me to shower or clean. At night she is sleeping longer and longer hours and the BEST PART???? The BEST part is that I can put her down awake and SHE GOES TO SLEEP ON HER OWN!!!!

I think part of the reason was the gripe water...the other part is that she is now 15 weeks and settling into a routine, and the last part is that she has been cuddled so much that she feels secure enough when put down that she knows she will be just fine.

Ah....a light at the end of the dark dark tunnel I've been living in. Thank God Thank God for light.